The Eclipser Virus

"I think we lost those ladies," Dacos ran up the balcony stairs with Maika.

"Maybe if I didn't have to wait for your telekinetic butt to come out of the restroom, they wouldn't have recognized me, you buffoon!" Maika shouted.

"Don't pin this on me, Colonel! When I got to go, I squat where I want! How was I supposed to know that Isrina would recognize you? At least I was able to launch a toilet at her to buy us time! You're welcome!"

"You have no IQ."

"You calling me stupid?"

Isrina caught up with Dacos, kicking him in the butt. The psychic agent tumbled onto Maika, sending both flying out of the roof door. Maika slid facedown as Dacos landed on her back.

"Idiot!" Maika slapped the agent.

"Ouch! Really?" Dacos scratched his head. "Stop blaming everything on me!"

"Avian Form: Flamingo's Talon!" Isrina hurled her feet at the villains.

The two agents jumped away before Isrina could stomp them, making a crack on the rooftop. Maika drew her rose pike while Isrina drew her UICA laser-edged sword.

Dacos slammed his hands into the roof to summon a large rock in the air, launching it at Isrina. Isrina dodged while the Colonel jumped away from the rock's rampage.

"Agent Dacos!" Maika yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you aim well?"

"Sorry, Colonel!"

"Avian Form: Heron's Talon!" Isrina kicked Dacos in the chin.

Dacos faced a palm forward to send Isrina flying with an air blast. The psychic agent lifted his hands upwards to wrap up the rooftop's fence into a large horn, sending it to attack Isrina. Isrina spun to her right dodging the projectile before landing.

"What are you here for?" Isrina clashed blades with Maika.

"That's none of your concern, Isrina," Maika twirled her pike in a spinning circle to deflect Isrina's strikes.

Dacos summoned a gust of wind towards Isrina, knocking her off balance. When Maika closed in, Saitori arrived in time to block the rose pike with her sword.

"Better watch yourself, Desert Cardinal!" Saitori kicked Maika onto Dacos.

Cecilius arrived with Saitori, pointing his blade at the Colonel. "Showtime's over, Maika!"

Everyone felt the booming vibration of a helicopter.

"About time," Maika grinned.

Her wasp-shaped helicopter flew behind Dacos and Maika. Dark red-eyed crusader droid gunners fired to provide them cover. Isrina, Saitori, and Cecilius blocked the laser bolts as the helicopter fired its stinger tail cannon, forcing them to retreat from the explosions.

"Haha!" Dacos chuckled. "So long, suckers! America can't save you now! You're all so screwed!"

The telekinetic agent stuck his hands and tongue out.

"What do you think you're doing, you dingbat?" Maika slapped Dacos.

"Ouch! Really?"

"Don't you ever take anything seriously?"

"Uh, it depends."

"This is the last time I'll work with you, Agent Dacos!"

"Technically, it was your first?"

"Congratulations. You can count. Now, shut up."

***

"No," Saitori deactivated her blade. "We lost Maika."

"Calm yourselves, ladies," Cecilius pat Saitori and Isrina's shoulders. "Let's not worry about Maika now. We have more pressing matters to deal with."

"Right. Whatever Maika placed in the internet core. Dorian and Niode are checking it out, but we can't contact them since none of our devices work."

"Oh, no," Isrina tried calling Shien with her phone. "My phone's just giving me a scrambled picture. My Little Chickadee!"

"Isrina, I'm sure Shien is fine for now," Cecilius assured. "However, we need to find a way to stop whatever Maika placed into our core. We must check with Dorian and Niode."

The three ran downstairs from the rooftop.

"Now that the Federation has declared us to be villains, how can we announce the truth? Now that all UICA products are down?" Saitori asked.

Cecilius grumbled. "Yes, that's another issue. I can't even contact President Forroway, and nobody could contact the players either."

The trio looked out a window to see the streets full of protesters. People held anti-UICA and pro-Kneapexist picture signs and carried their unconscious loved ones stuck in the Syanic Earth.

"Hail, Fanghui! He'll save us!"

"You did this to my family!"

"Screw you, UICA! Where are my children?"

"Oh, my God," Isrina watched the people angrily throw bottles at the WARBLER Center. "How will we ever tell them the truth now?"

Cecilius couldn't bear watching the people swing insignia posters of the five stars of China over a minotaur's skull. He walked forward to place his head on the wall, trying to absorb everything that was happening.

"President?" Saitori asked. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh, not really," Cecilius shook his head. "But all we can do is find a way to stop the Cybertrap, and find another way to let the people know the truth."

"Guys!" The three spotted Dorian shouting from a hallway with Niode behind her.

"Dorian," Cecilius greeted. "I apologize that your time interning today had to come to this."

"No worries, President," Dorian popped her computer up. "I just thought I could use my brains to help out."

"It's chaos out there!" Niode panicked. "People are already rioting all over the place waving those satanic skulls!"

"Calm down, Niode. I'm sure we can work this out somehow," Cecilius sighed. "Dorian, could you describe what you found?"

"Yes, I plugged into the core, safely extracting a sample. I then analyzed the digital substance with my laptop."

"Wait, your computer works?" Saitori pointed out.

"My computer isn't a UICA product. My parents gave me this laptop for Christmas when I was ten. I've been customizing it for quite some time."

Saitori gasped. "The only way to communicate with each other would be to use non-UICA devices!"

"Okay. We solved that issue," Cecilius nodded. "And what did you find in the core?"

Dorian typed on her computer. "I found a virus within the internet core that's been interfering with UICA products and the Syanic Earth."

"I see," Cecilius placed his hand on his chin. "But how could they have bypassed the firewalls?"

"I noticed that the virus originated from a rogue file code-named Eclipser."

"Okay?"

"I believe Maika inserted the file to appear as a friendly maintenance file, and once it passed the firewalls, it opened to release the devastating malware."

"Trojan horse," Saitori entered an office room with the group. "How can we stop it?"

"I think I can make an antivirus program to counter the Eclipser Virus."

"I guess that makes sense," Niode sat on a chair. "Let's do it!"

"It's not that simple. The program file size of the virus is so vast that we would need a counter-program of greater size," Dorian warned. "We would need more devices to connect with my laptop for more power so my computer doesn't overheat and explode. Otherwise, that's not going to work out very well."

"Hmm, and all our UICA computers here are down," Cecilius clenched a fist. "We'll have to look for non-UICA electronics somewhere."

They sat for a moment as Dorian observed the virus sample.

"My Little Chickadee," Isrina sobbed. "Please be safe."

"Isrina," Saitori hugged her. "We will find a way to save your son. I'm sure we will figure something out of this mess."

"Maybe, we don't need to connect to other devices," Cecilius proposed.

Dorian adjusted her glasses. "What do you mean?"

"If the Eclipser Virus is so vast, why try to be bigger than it if we can penetrate it with a smaller program? Is that possible?"

"Not a bad idea. I can create a phantom antivirus to infiltrate the Eclipser."

Cecilius cupped his fist on his other hand. "We can communicate with the players and make a program to bring them home!"

"Yes, but remember, our program size has to be as small as fragmented instructions. Anything larger than that would get scrambled by the virus."

"Then give the command to end the virus!" Isrina held a fist.

"No, the game itself is infected. It cannot take a direct command on its own."

"Having the players trigger something?" Niode asked. "A trigger effect that stops the virus and frees everyone?"

"Sending a message so the players know what to trigger is possible since the command is not fully directed to the game."

"Have the players beat a boss?"

"Can't be too specific. Needs to be vague."

"A random one?"

"The game in its infected state won't be able to make any choices."

"Have them beat the entire game," Cecilius frowned.

Everyone looked at him with pale faces. Beating all three enemy factions and their corresponding super bosses in the Syanic Earth has never been accomplished.

"It's the only way," Dorian agreed. "I'll make the phantom program, but we need to send fragmented messages to the players to let them know."

"But the players may not understand the coded messages," Saitori worried.

"Unless you're an android of the Syanic Earth that can intercept such messages," Niode snapped his finger. "We can send the coded messages to the androids, and they can relay them to the players."

"Sounds like a plan," Dorian typed into her laptop to create the antivirus program.

"It's about time those players paid attention to fighting the actual enemies we put so much effort into making!" Niode laughed.

"Don't say that!" Dorian elbowed him.

"I was just kidding!"

"Dorian, you're a genius. Thank you," Cecilius sighed with relief.

"Question," Saitori gasped. "Who would lead the players? They need guidance to defeat the three factions."

Cecilius thought for a moment. "Are there any UICA members who can lead the players in the game?"

"I did see a few UICA members currently in the game before the Cybertrap," Dorian recalled. "Mivangeline Shuruuko was the only one with any leadership skills as a commander in training."

"My daughter?" Niode shuddered. "She's in there? No, no! How did I miss that? Mivangeline!"

"Gosh, Mivangeline being the leader? Great," Saitori grimaced.

"She's not ready! She hasn't finished her training!"

"There's a time for everything. And now, her time has come to step up," Cecilius told Niode. "She's the only one who can lead the players in beating the game."

Niode crossed his arms, upset with the fact that the fate of the players rested on his introverted daughter.

"Niode," Isrina placed her arm around him. "She won't be alone. The androids will help her too! And I am sure my son and his friends will be willing to help her as well."

"Sure, I guess."

"We all need to do our part," Cecilius advised. "Even amid a coming invasion, we're going to help those players break free from the Cybertrap."

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, no!" Isrina worried. "With an invasion coming, how can I get my Little Chickadee to a safer place?"

"Crap. That goes for my daughter as well," Niode tapped his foot in thought. "Ah! I can drive one of our prototype geococcoid runners to get both my daughter and your son. Maybe, I can get Rahim to help as well since he and I are neighbors!"

"Are you sure that's wise?" Saitori asked. "I know the runner should be fast, but what if you get caught in the middle of the invasion?"

"I mean, come on. Rahim always anticipated that the Federation would come to America. He fought alongside you guys during the Niang Chronicles! Rahim has those creepy blade things that shred droids to pieces along with his swinging shotgun! His experience along with his super cool arsenal would be advantageous if we ever hope to stand against the Federation."

Niode then turned to the UICA President.

"President," He cleared his throat. "I would love to stay to help, but I want to help our kids. Permission to leave?"

"May I go with him?" Isrina asked.

"Of course," The UICA President nodded. "Permission granted. Saitori and I will watch over Dorian to make sure the anti-program is finished."

Isrina and Niode saluted. "Thank you, President Cecilius!"

"Of course, stay safe, you two."

As the two ran out of the circular room, Cecilius ordered the UICA forces to defend the American borders. Their mission was to hold off the Federation invasion to buy Dorian time in delivering the antivirus against the Eclipser.